Valve construction for washing apparatus



Feb. 3, 1942. E, s. s'oDDARD VAI-IVE COISTRUGTION FOR WASHING APARATUS Filed Feb 27,

2 Sheets-Sheet Il Vlg.

Inventor- Edga- 5. Stoddard,

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` Hi Attor heg."

Feb. 3, 1942. E. sjs'roDDARD VALVE CONSTRUCTION FOR WASHING APPARATUS Fned Feb. 27, 1941 2 sheets-shea: 2

f n lllllxlllldlllllull Invebor: Edgar 5. Stoddard, b5

Patented Feb. 3, 1942 UNITED STAT VALVE coNsrnumoN ron wasmNo mms-rus Ine..

Eams. Stoddard. nenn. nl.. 'unmito Ear- Electrle 00mm! son Am l l Chicago, lll., a of New York.-

sppuoouon roma-y' zr, 1941; serial No. :sus:

schim. (ci. iss-139) This invention relates to a valve construction for a washing apparatus and more particularly to a drain valve construction'for a dishwashing apparatus and has for its object the provision of an improved valve construction which is reliable in operation and relatively linexpensive to manufacture.

. vation'oi a dishwashing apparatus embodying A' 'the drain valve construction of this invention;

panying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a front ele- Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation showing in detail the improved valve. construction of this invention; Fig. 3 isa top view-of the valve oon- 4 y smicuon shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 1s a sectional while not nmiced thereto, this invencionrelates to a new and improved electromagneticaliyoperated valve especially adapted for use las a drain valve of a dishwashing apparatus and it is among the objects of this invention to provide an improved valve of this character.

As is well known in the dishwashing art, the waste uid which the drain valve is called upon to handle often contains a rather high 'concentration of greases and othersticky substances.

' It has been found' in the past that these substances often accumulated around the valveseat of the drain valve, causing the valve either to fail to seat properly or to stick in its closed position. It is among' the objects of this invention to provide an improved drain valve-construction in which such operational failures are eliminated. In this regard it is a speciilc object of this invention to provide an improved drain valve construction for a dishwasher in which, prior to opening, the valve element is given a hammer blow to completely disengage it from the valve seat. Y

It is among the further objects of this invention to provide new and improved means i'orelectromagnetically operating the improved valve construction referred lto above so that it will be quickly-and relatively silently -actuated upon the energization of the electromagnetic means and view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and looking in direction oir arrows showing further details of the valve construction; Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 'l5-5 oi Fig. 2, and looking in direction of arrows showing additional details of thevalve constructionyand Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional .view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1, and looking in direction oi arrows show- I ing the outlet construction for the improved valve venting arrangement of this invention.`

Referringto the drawings this invention has been shown as applied` to a dishwashing apparatus of the front opening type whichl comprises 'a vat Il suitably supported in a casing having side walls Il andk I2, a rear wall i3, and a top wall Il. Provided in the topwall is an integrally formed back splasher plate v I5 in which is mounted suitably manually operable .control means Il for controlling the various electrically operated element of the dishwashingapparatus.

. Arranged to close the i'ront opening of the vat Il is a door Il in which is provided a Ventilating louver lland in the upper left-hand corner of which is provided suitable detergent;l supplying to provide improved means for connecting the electromagnetic means to thevalve means'sothat the' proper adjustment may be attained to insure maximum pull on'the valve by the mag'- netic means. o

It is a further object of this invention to provide improved means for venting the valve construction vso that failure of the valve to open due. to the building up of 'a back pressure on the discharge side. thereof is prevented.

-Further and more specific" 'objects of this invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty brackets v24 which are secured to a draincastlng which characterize this invention will be set forth in the claims appended to and forming al part of this speciiication.

For a more complete understanding of this v invention reference should be had As shown in Fig. 1, the bottom wan 2.o of the vat Il slopes downwardly so as to detlne a receptacle 2l for receiving a washing fluid. vProvided within the receptacle!! is animpellerZZ which is adapted to be driven by a suitable motor 23'. positioned outside of and below the bottom wall 2l,- as illustrated. Whenl driven by themotor 23 the'impeller picks up the washing fluid in the receptacle 2| and throws or hurls the uid up `through the washing vat I0 into contact with dishes contained therein. It-will be understood that suitable rack means (not shown) .will be used for supporting the dishes Vwithin the vat lll.

The motor 23 is supported by means of suitable 25 mounted on the bottom wall 20 of the vat in v my copending application Serial No. 380,849 led Feb. 27, 1941, andassigned to the assignee of the present invention. f

washing nuidwmon 1s prefer-abn worm water to the'accom-A 55' is-supplied to thelvat lll by means ofa suitable y means of the tubular portion 42.

' 44 for the valve element or apper 45.

spray device 29 which is supported in the central portion of the top wall of the vat, as shown in Fig. 1. This spray device is connected bymeans of suitable pipe 21 which extends downwardly along the outside of the vat between the vat and the rear wall I3 of the casing to the outlet side of a control valve 28, the inlet side of which is connected by piping 29 to a. suitable source\oi!y 44 due to the pitch of the seat which is approximately However, the ilapper is free to swing open to permit the free discharge jof fluid into the drain. elbow. However, in the event that fluid should back up into. the drain elbow from the wastevsystem due to the fact that the drain elbow lies below the discharge point of with the positioning of the control means I8.

It will be observed that the valve 28' is locatedv behind the motor 23 and its supported in position by means of a bracket 3| ,as more particularly described in my aforementioned copending application.

Waste iiuid is drained from the receptacle 2i through the drain casting 25 andinia a drain elbow 32 from which it is .discharged into a suitable trapconnection 33 which is connected to a drain system (not shown).

As previously pointed out, this invention relates to the provision of new and` improved means for controlling the flow of waste iluld from the washing vat so .that washing uid may be accumulated in the vat for a portion of a washing cycle and may thereafter be quickly Vand reliably discharged from the washing vat into the drain system.

'Ihe improved drain valve construction for effecting this controlling function is shown in detail in Figs. 2 through 5. Referring to these figures and particularly Figs. 4 and 5, it will be observed that the improved drain valve construction includes a drain elbow 32 which is mounted on a drain casting 25. Secured between the discharge opening of the drain casting and the inlet opening of the drain elbow is a valve seat casting 34 which includes 'a ange 35 which is adapted to" fit over the flange 36 provided at the discharge opening of the drain casting and a ilange 31 which is adapted to be other devices connected to the drain system, for example, a sink outlet, the valve element is free to swing to the closed position and prevent such waste fluids from backing up into the washing apparatus.

' In order to move the drain valve from its normally free swinging drain open position to a positively held closed position there is provided within the drain elbow an arm 49 which normally lies out of engagement with the ilapper `element 45. As shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, however, the arm 49 is adapted to be moved into engagement with an abutment provided on the flapper to hold the fiapper firmly against the valve seat 44 to produce a closed position for the valve. The arm 49 lis secured by means y,of the set screw `5| vto a shaft :52 whichfis Journaled in the side walls of the drain elbow. and

" Wardly along the shaft at the point where it exreceived within the flange 38 provided at the 'inlet opening of the drain elbow. -Positioned between the ilanges 35-39 and 31-38 are the gaskets 38 and 4l respectively for\ providing a duid-tight seal. Provided for securing the drain elbow and valve seat to the drain casting is a pair of bolts 4| which are threadedly received in the drain casting and when drawn down tight, rmly hold the elements in iluidtight relation.

The flanges 35 and 31 are lspaced apart by Projecting outwardly from the flange 31 is a discharge portion 43 which is adapted to extend into the drain elbow, as shown in Fig. 4, to form a valve seat This valve element is of the swing check valve type and it is swingably orv pivotally supported by means of the arm 48 which is supported on a pin 41 rotatably Joumaled in a pair of arms 48 integrally formed on the valve seat casting 34. It will thus be observed that the valve seat casting and the valve element constitute a unitary assembly which can readily be mounted in position on the drain casting with the valve portion projecting into the drain elbow. The bolt openings in the pairs' of iianges 35-38 and tends through the elbow. Secured to the pro- Jecting end of the shaft 52 by means of a set screw 54 is a T-shaped lever 55. By moving this lever clockwise asviewed in Figs.. l and 2, the arm 49 will be rotated from the full line position to the dotted line position in which position it engages the abutment 59 to hold the valve in' the closed position. In order to bias the arm `49 to its normal position shown in full lines in Fig. 4in which it does not obstruct the free swinging movement of the iiapper 45 there is provided a torsion spring 58 which is wound on a sleeve 51 mounted on the projecting end of shaft 52. vThe spring 59 has one end secured in an opening provided in the head portion of the Tsshaped lever 55 and has its opposite end secured in a suitable eyelet provided in the bracket 58 formed on the drain elbow. The sleeve 51 is mounted on the shaft so as to be supported between two spaced washers 59 and is held in position by means of a cotter pin 38.

In accordance with this invention the movement o i the drain valve from its normally open to its closed position and from its closed position to its normally open position is electromagneticallycontrolled. In other words, electromagnetic means are provided for actuating tromagnetic means are best illustrated in Figs.

ois

2 and 3 and referring to these figures it will be observed that there is cast on the drain elbow a suitable supporting flange 8| to which a coil supporting bracket 32 is adiustably secured by suitable means such as screws 63 adjustable in fthe slots t4 provided in the bracket. This coil supporting bracket is substantially rectangular in shape and is provided with a central opening in which an electromagnet is resiliently supported by means of a plurality of tension springs 35. The electromagnet comprises a laminated core 88 upon which is wound a coil 81 and within which moves a laminated amature 33 comprising a plurality of strips secured together in a stack. The twobiitside strips of this laminated coreextend beyond the ends of the remaining strips so as to forma U-shaped frame in which is secured a pin :99 upon which is provided a pairof spacers '10.'

In order to transmit the movement of the armature 68 to the outer lever 55 a tension spring 1i is provided between the pin 69 and an ear 12 provided on the headportion of the T-shaped lever 55. Such. a construction is preferred over.

the use of a solid connection between the armature and the lever since' thetension spring increases the travel of the amature over that obtained with a fixed connector. Moreover, with the tension spring transmittingarraiigement the accuracy with which the'armature must be positioned relative to the lever 55 in order to eec- Ltively close the ilapper45 is not as great. With ar xed connector between thev two operative elements a poor adjustment results in unsatisfactory operation of the electromagnetic means. For example, ii the adjustment is such that .the

provide a magnetic seal, the coil will vibrate. On the other hand if the adjustment is such that the armature reaches the limit of its travel too quickly the valve will not be held tightly closed.

By employing a resilient connector between the operative elements,. these difiiculties inadjusting the elements relative 'to each other are substantially overcome and in addition the noise encounteied in operating the electromagnetic means and the valve is substantially decreased.

means is shown in its normally deenergized position. -When in this position the valve operating arm 49 is in the full line position shown in Fig. 4 and the flapper 451s in its normally free swinging position. When the coil 51 is energized, the

armature 68 is retracted and the lever 55 is moved clockwise as viewed in Figs. l and 2. This l causes the arm 49 to be moved' clockwise as To accommodate-the arm 13, the drain-elbow is provided with jaI rectangular-shaped well 14 at the top thereof. Integrally formed on the arm 49 is an upwardly projecting arm 15 which normally lies within the hook-shaped abutment 13.' However, upon'movement of the 49 in a clockwise direction so as to move the valvev to its Aclosed position, the arm 15 willv move clockwise past the end of the arm 13 vto the dotted position shown in Fig. 4.. Thus when the coil l1 is deenl ergized and the arm 49 is moved counterclockwise 5 under the influence of the biasing' spring Il. `the armature cannot go all the way intothe coil to 1 'end of the arm 15 will strike against the outside within the hook portion ofarm 19, as shown in fulllines in Fig. 4. It will thus bel observed that there is provided in accordance withvthisinven- 'tion relatively simple, yet highly effective means for preventing the iiapper 45 from .becoming stuck to the valve seat 44 at any time during its operation. l

It has'also been found that the formation of air pockets in the drain elbow, on the discharge side of the valve, may aii'ect the operation of the valve, by interfering with the free swinging of the In Figs. 2 and 3 the electromagnetic operating a slight'head of water inthe tub.v reason f ilapper element 45.- In order to eliminate jthe possibility of such an air pocket forming in the drain elbow, a vent opening 19 isprovided near the top of the well 14. Without such a vent it is possible for air to'be pocketed between the'inlet.

vside of the lvalve and the water standing-in the trap 33 so that the valve will be held shut against that this occurs is that it-is difilcult for the air inl the'upper portion of the drain elbow to travel horizontally through the valve and up into vthe tub. v:Bv relieving 4the pressure -through the vent viewed in Fig.l 4 to the dotted line position vshown in this figure, in which position the ilapper is firmly held against the valve seat- 4 4 to prevent the discharge of fluid from the washing appara-v tus. 'It will be understood that the adjoining surfaces of the flapper 45 and of the Valve vseat 44 are intertted as by grinding or the like so as to provide a iluid-tightrelation'between the two when the ilapper is tightly held against the seat.l

When the coil 61, is deenergized, the armature 68 is pulled outwardly to the position shown in Figs.2 and -3 under the influence of the tension of springs 1l and 56 and at the same time 'the arm 41 is rotated counterclockwise to theviull line position shown in Fig. 4, permitting the valve tov return to its normally free -swinging position. `1

It has been found that when the waste waters which are vdischarged through the drain valve are sticky in character there is a' tendency for the flapper 45 to stickclosed. This of course has.

certain detrimental effects onv'the washing apparatusand interferes with the remainder of the washing positions of the control l5.- In order to eliminate the possibility of the flapper lsticking under such conditions there is provided in accordance with this invention meansfor imparting a hammer blow tothe valve at the time the arm 49 is permitted to return to its normal position. This means includes a hook-shaped-` abutment 13 which is integrally formed on the valve arm 46 and extends above and outwardly to the opening the free swinging of the apper 45 is unimpeded.V

In order to Vpermit the valve to function properly, only a small-vent opening is required rin the top of the drain elbow. Even suclra vent, however, would be likely to permit water to spill on ythe floor through the vent if the drain did not operate rapidly. (For. this reason' a tube 11 is attached to the opening by means ofthe bushing 19 toV carry the vent above the normal water level inv the tub. `When thev washing apparatus is connected' to the same-drain system as anfadjoining sink it is necessary to carry the vent tube' Aat least'as high as the entrance tothe sink drain f in order to avodidv water that might be accumulated in the sink drain from backing up through the'vent. `Moreover, provision must also be made to prevent the pumping of -water'out of the vent and onto the floor due to pressures produced on the drain side of the valve by other apparatus connected to the drain system. For these reasons the vent tube is projected upwardly between the back of the vat and the rear lwall I3 of the casing and is brought into the vat below the top wall fthereof." Inthis position the vent is suiliciently high for most normal installations of the dishe washer and anywater that vis -pumped or forced out through the vent is returned to the interior of the vat.

As shown in Fig. 6,` thev connection of the vent tube to the vat iseffected by means of a bushing 19 into which the upper end of the tube 11 projects. This bushing is firmly secured to the right from the pivot P111 41. aS shown in Fig. 4. 75 rear wall of the vat 19 by means of a nut 59 and the point at which it passes through the wall of the vat is sealed by means of gaskets 8l. In order to limit the amount of water that might be pumped into the vat through the vent opening in a short space of time, the discharge end of the bushing is provided with -a small opening l2. Qifcourse, the same eifect could be obtained by fniakin'gli-the vent tube .11 of smaller diameter.

' However, .it has been found that this is not satisfactory since the vent tubel would tend to clog, especially if food pulp from the waste unit were forced into the tube.

It is believed that the operation of the improved drain valve construction of this invention is clear from the foregoing detailed description. It is to be observed that there is provided in accordance with this invention an improved valve construction particularly adapted for use as the drain valve of a dishwashing apparatus. Moreover, it will be observed that there is provided a drain valve which is relatively simple in construction and may be easily mounted in its operative position in a dishwashing apparatus. Furthermore, it will be observed that there is provided an improved drain valve construction which is thoroughly reliable in operation in that means are provided for preventing the valve from either sticking or being held in its-closed position after the electromagnetic operating means` have been actuated to cause it to be moved to its normally open position.

While there is shown a particular embodiment of this invention it will beunderstood of course that it is not desired to be limited thereto since many modifications may be mad'e thereof and it.

said valve member being mounted so that normally it swings freely about its pivot, a valve operating arm within said body member, means for actuating said arm in one directionto bring it into engagement with said valve element to move said element from its normally free swinging position to a closed position in engagement with said valve seat, means for biasing said arm in the opposite direction so as to move it out of engagement with said valve element and permit said valve element to return to its normal free swing- 'ing position, and means on said arm for imparting a sharp blow to said element in the initial portion of the movement of said arm .in said opposite direction so that any tendency of said valve element to stick closed is prevented.

2. A valve construction comprising an elbow, a valve seat projecting into said elbow, a valve element pivotally mounted within said elbow so as to cooperate with said valve seat, said valve element having a normally free swinging lposition in which it is out of engagement with said valve seat, an operating arm rotatably mounted in said elbow, a projecting portion on said arm adapted to be moved into engagement with said valve element to move it from said normally 'free swinging position to a closed position in engagement with said valve seat, means outside of said elbow for rotating said arm so that said portion engages said valve element and holds said element against said4 seat, means for biasing said operating arm out of engagement with said valve element so as to permit said element to return to its normal free swinging position when the holding effect of said portion of said arm is removed and a second portion on said armadapted to engage a portion of said valve element to impart a sharp blow thereto when said arm is moved under the' influence of said biasing means so that any tendency ofsaid valve element to stick to said valve seat is prevented.

3. A valve construction for a dishwashing apparatus having a drain casting comprising a drain elbow, a valve seat casting having a portion adapted to project into said drain elbow, means for mounting said valve seat casting between said drain elbow and said drain casting, so that said portion projects into said elbow, a valve seat on said projecting portion of said valve seat casting, a valve element adapted to cooperate i with said valve seat, means for pivotally mount-- ing said valve element on said projecting portion of said valve seat casting, said means permittingv normal free swinging movement of said valve element out of engagement with said valve seat, a

projecting arm on said valve element, an actuating arm pivotally mounted within said drain elbow, means on said actuating arm adapted to engage said valve element to move it from its normal free swinging position to a closed position in engagement with said valve seat, and additional means on said actuating arm adapted to engage said arm on said valve element to impart a sharp blow to said arm upon movement of said actuating arm out of engagement with said valve element so as to prevent said valve element from becoming stuck in said closed position.

4. A valve construction comprising an elbow, a valve seat projecting into said elbow, a valve element pivotally mounted to cooperate with said valve seat, said valve element having a normally i v free swinging position in which it is out of engagement with said valve seat, an operating arm rotatably mounted in said elbow, a projecting portion on said arm adapted to be moved into engagement with said valve element to move it from said. normal free swinging position to a closed position in engagement with said valve seat, means. outside of said elbow for rotating said arm so that said portion engages said valve element and holds said element against said seat,

means for biasing said operating armout of engagement with said valve element so as to permit said valve element to return to its normal free swinging position when the holding efi'ect of said portion of said arm isA removed,a second portion on said arm adapted to engage said valve velement to impart a sharp blow thereto so as to free said element from said valve seat in the event that it is stuck thereto, and vent means in said elbow for venting the" discharge side of said valve element so that interference with the free swinging operation oi' said valve element in said drain elbow by air trapped on the discharge side of said element is prevented.

5. A valve construction comprising a body member, a valve seat projecting into said body member, a valve element pivotally mounted to cooperate with said valve seat, said valve element having a normal free swinging position in which it is out of engagement with said valve seat, an operating lever rotatably mounted in said body member having a portion adapted to be moved into engagement with said valve element to move it -from its normal free swinging position to a Y 2,271,993 e 'I closed position in which said element is brought L into engagement with said valve seat, means for biasing said operating lever so that said portion is out of engagement with said valve element and permits said normal free swinging movement of said element, a second portion on said operating lever adapted to engage a portion of said valve element to impart a sharp blow thereto upon movement of said operating lever under the influence of said biasing means, a vent opening-in said body member for venting the discharge side of said valve element t0 prevent trapped air on the discharge side of said element'from interfering with the normal lfree swinging operation of said valve element, and an open-ended tube connected to said vent opening for raising the effective level of said vent opening. l

6. A valve construction comprising a body member, a removable valve seat projecting into said body member, a valve element adapted to engage said valve seat to produce a closed position for'said valve construction, means for pivotally mounting said valve element within said body so that said valve element can normally freely swing out of or into engagement with said valve seat depending upon the direction of the A uid pressure applied to said element, and a vent in said valve body on the discharge side of said valve seat for preventing air trapped on said discharge side of said valve element from interfering with the free swinging operation of said element.

- 7. A drain valve construction for a dishwashing .vat comprising a drain elbow, a valve seat casting having a portion projecting into vsaid drain elbow, means vfor securing said drain elbow and said casting to said vat so that said portion lies within said elbow, a valve seat'on said portion lying .within said elbow, a valve element adapted to cooperate with said valve seat, means for pivotally mounting said valve element on said portion of said valve seat casting lying within said elbowso that said element lfreely swings into and out of engagement with said valve seat in accordance with the fluid pressure exerted on said element,van operating arm rotatably mounted within said drain elbow having av portion adapted to be moved into engagement with said valve element to positively move said element to a closed position against said valve seat and hold said element in said closed position, means for biasing said operating arm out o! engagement with said valve element so as not to interfere with said free swinging movement of said element, electromagnetic means supported outside of said drain elbow for operating said arm and holding it in engagement with said valve element against the force of said biasing means, a vent in said drain-elbow on the discharge side of said valve .element for preventing any air trapped on said discharge side of said valve element from interfering with the free swinging operation of said element, and a vent tube secured to said vvent opening and adapted to extend into said dishwashing vat for carrying into said vat any uids discharged through said vent opening.

EDGAR S. STODDARD.v 

